Welcome to the World
by AlwaysHappier
Summary: A Caskett tale about Kate and Rick bringing their first child into the world. Rated T for some anatomy language haha.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a one-shot for now. I might add to it if I get enough response from people wanting more chapters/an expansion. I have ideas for it, just not sure if I'm any good at this ha.**

**Please excuse any mistakes... I'm 19 years old, and have never even been kissed, so I'm not exactly going on experience here haha.**

**The idea was inspired by my friend's story, and it got me thinking on the way home, so I decided to roll with it and see where it leads. **

**Hope you all enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: no, I own nothing. Except I had dogs named Lucy and Hannah haha.**

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><p>Usually, her hair flows down her shoulders in small slopes of shiny chestnut-red strands. They fall around her face with a grace and beauty that many women envy. Not a single flyaway or imperfection, even in her harsh line of profession that requires her to chase crazy people, in heels, no doubt.<p>

Not now, however. Her hair is pulled back in a messy bun, pieces that are too short hang down freely at the nape of her neck, coiling from the sweat that is forming along the planes of her delicately fierce body. Her forehead is sticky with her exertion and some more loose hair clings, slightly darker from the dampened surface of her clammy skin.

The usually straight, wrinkle-free surface of her brow line is now creased with concentration and frustration. Her cheeks are bright pink and she wears no makeup or heels. Eyes scrunch closed so tight that small lines of wrinkles show at the corners.

She lies in a hospital bed with three fluffy pillows and sheets that are currently flung to the side. Breaths coming in huffs and puffs from her diaphragm. Her heart, although strong and capable of handling such strain, beats loudly in her chest, causing her pulse to hammer in her ears and behind closed eyelids like loud bass.

A single tear escapes her right lid, the fat droplet blazing its way down the divot of her eye, over the hill of her high cheekbones, past the line of her jaw and finally dropping to her gown. There, it spread through the fabric, a cubic centimeter becoming stained with the saline substance.

Her world is all in a peculiar dimension. Nothing seems too real or there; all she can think about is the agonizing pain that grips her like someone is tearing her apart with a dull razor blade, piece by piece, starting near her groin. She hears voices far away; she could hear them and know what they're saying, but there seems to be some large fluffy wall up where it becomes muffled and unreal. Everything is in a haze, but she can tell the medication she was given ten minutes ago is slowly dulling the pain.

For a woman with so much power and control, it is a strange sight to see Kate Beckett-Castle in such a state. And Rick hates seeing her in such pain, but he knows it would be well worth it in the end. He just needs to get her through this. Of course, he would jump in and take all of her hurt away if he could, but instead he stands by her side, holding her hand and helping her any way he can.

"It's okay. You're doing great, honey. Come on, you can do this. You can do this."

She squeezes his hand with a crushing force, causing him to shout out in pain at the same exact moment as another contraction hit. To anyone outside of the situation, it must have sounded like a small harmony of discomfort.

"Don't be a baby, Rick. I am pushing," she begins but is interrupted with another spurt of pain in her abdomen, "something bigger than a _softball _through my _vagina_."

She looks up at him with an exhausted, yet still very recognizable facial expression. Her eyes narrow and one of her perfectly shaped brows arches in a way that says to not challenge her. Her bottom lip is slightly swollen from her constant gnawing with her teeth, while her upper lip is somewhat chapped. It seems that her nervous habit of biting her lip really got emphasized during pregnancy.

"Sorry. You just have an amazing grip. Seriously, after this, you should totally try sh—OW!" his eyes widen like a surprised lemur as the next contraction hit both of them like a freight train, Rick coming along for the ride based on his wife's brutal death grip on his right hand.

"Shut. Up," she hisses through her clenched jaw as the pain slowly subsides for now.

"Shutting up," her husband replies right away, knowing not to mess with his detective, especially when she's in this much agony. No, that would not be pretty for anyone.

Her head tilts back so that her chin is jutting out, attempting to rest until she feels like the world is closing in on her yet again.

Rick gently brushes her hair away from her clammy forehead with his flat palm and applying a cold compress to attempt to help her a bit. His other hand cups her face, with the pad of his thumb tracing soothing patterns along her flushed cheek.

"You two ready to be parents?" the doctor asks, watching the monitors and eying the couple.

"YES," they say in unison, smiling faintly at each other.

The doctor chuckles at their obvious enthusiasm for this labor to be over.

"Alright then. Kate, the next contraction you have, I want you to bear down and push as hard as you can. Can you do that?"

Kate nods. Rick leans down and plants a kiss to the top of her head, and takes a hold of her thin, icy hand now, both preparing for the duty at hand.

The next couple of contractions are brutal for both of them, despite the epidural. She has a small frame, and that equals a more difficult and painful childbirth.

By twenty minutes into intense labor, Kate turns to Rick and points an accusatory finger at him, glaring through her exhaustion.

"_You_," she pokes his chest hard, "This is all _your_ fault."

"My fault? I think we _both_ kind of did this."

"You got this baby into me. Why don't you have to push her out of your penis? "

He opens his mouth to respond as Kate had the urge to push again. Her grunting and screaming intensifies significantly and they replace the now lukewarm compress with a washcloth. The doctor, a middle aged, medium-build African American woman named Dr. Webster, is near Kate's open knees, with her eyes fixed on the baby emerging and talking through her blue doctor's mask.

"We can see the head! Keep pushing, Kate. You're almost there."

Kate hunches her shoulders and coils forward, screaming out in sheer agony.

"I want this thing out. NOW," she pants.

By this point, Rick has moved down towards the doctor, still with a hand on her at all times to assure both her and himself. His face lights up as he sees his baby's head emerge through the small space, then the shoulders, and pretty soon their little girl is born.

Kate falls back in the hospital bed in exhaustion and relief as the pain immediately subsides.

A pin could drop in this room and they could hear the exact location. No cries, screams, or gurgling from the little pink bundle, which is their worst fear. Both parents wait anxiously as the team of three nurses suction out their daughter's small mouth and nose.

Finally, a shrill scream echoes around the room as the mutual breath Rick and Kate had been holding whoosh out of their lungs. He leans over and plants a kiss to Kate's forehead, then the crown of her head, and nuzzles her with his nose.

"I am so proud of you. You did brilliant, you know that? I love you. I love you so much."

Tears fill Kate's eyes freely now and her lower lip trembles as the vein on her forehead bulges slightly.

"I love you too, Rick. So much."

Once their girl is swaddled in a little pink blanket, one of the nurses hands her to Kate, who eagerly takes the tiny human.

"Hey, little burrito. Welcome to the world, sweetie," Rick coos, stroking the baby's tiny red mouth with his thumb.

"Burrito? Really, Castle?" Kate tries not to crack a smile as she looks down at their daughter.

"What? She looks like a little burrito. A beautiful, healthy, wonderful baby burrito."

His eyes are full of pride for both his wife, who looks completely disheveled yet still utterly stunning, and his new little girl.

"Do you two have a name picked out for her yet that we can put on her birth certificate?" the doctor inquires.

"Lucy. Lucy Hannah Castle," Kate looks down at her girl lovingly and over to her husband who returns the gaze.

"Thank you," Rick practically whispers once the doctors have left them alone for a few minutes.

"For what?" Kate asks, cocking her head tiredly as her eyes close from the soothing motion he's doing with his hand in her hair.

"For letting me in. For being mine. For trusting me. For being my wife. For being my best friend. For being my partner. For being so brave and strong and perfect. For loving me. For giving me the opportunity to be the father of your child,"

Kate wound her arms around his neck, pulling him down towards her and pressing a kiss to his lips before drawing back and resting her forehead on his.

"Always."

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><p><strong>Soooo what did you think?<strong>

**I don't usually beg for feedback, but PLEASE review so I know whether or not to continue along with this story. **

**THANKS! :D**

**x Kat**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sooo I guess it's more than a one-shot haha. Thank you guys so much for the awesome feedback for the first chapter. This kind of just flowed. **

**Again, I'm sorry if some details aren't realistic; I had to ask my mom some things about how the night after birth usually goes, etc.**

**Hope you enjoy, and don't forget: REVIEWS ARE LIKE LITTLE TOKENS OF HAPPINESS FOR ME :D**

**DISCLAIMER: Disclaimed.**

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><p>She tentatively shifts onto her left hip in the small hospital bed. It's late; all of the lights are off, minus the city lights shining through the window. The monitors in the room provide a dull glow that illuminates it enough for her to get her bearings. Her gown falls off of her shoulder, so she pulls the blankets up more. A large sigh escapes her and a small smile tugs at her lips as she peers over to see her husband.<p>

Rick is passed out in the spacious chair, with his feet sprawling out and his butt scooting almost off the seat. His head rests on the back of the chair, with his mouth slightly agape in slumber.

Lucy is in the nursery with the caretakers for the night, despite Kate's strong objections. Her doctor recommended—okay, demanded—that Kate get sleep tonight because of her long labor.

The events of the previous day filled her head again. She is now a mother; they are parents to a teensy little human being, so innocent and perfect. Could she do this? She pushes the doubts out of her head. Of course she can do this. Her partner will be there a hundred and ten percent of the way, and he believes in her. With him, she could face bombs, freezers, drowning, even being shot. Being a mother will be a journey, but it will be a hell of a ride, and with the man she loves with all of her heart, mind, and soul.

As she stares at his sleeping form, she feels a need to be close with him, to have some sort of contact. Skin on skin.

"Rick," she barely whispers to where he lay motionless about six feet away from her. At this point, it is a lifetime away if you ask Kate. Getting no response, she increases her volume a bit.

"Rick. Honey," she says in more of a hushed tone, between a whisper and a normal talking voice. Still not even a twitch.

This time, she talks in a normal volume, getting desperate to have him by her side.

"CASTLE."

Nothing.

She takes one of her pillows from the pile behind her head—that man really wanted her to be comfortable and insisted she have them all—and chucks it at him.

Now, that causes him to jump straight up, snorting a bit as he leapt into consciousness.

"Wha-huh?" a drowsy Rick replies, rubbing his eyes slightly before he realizes where he is and who chucked the pillow at him.

"I tried to call your name, but you wouldn't budge," she explains in a matter-of-factly tone.

His face softens as he steps toward her bedside, running a hand through the hair that fell on his forehead.

"So naturally, you decided throwing a pillow at me was the best way to wake me," he comments with a chuckle.

She simply shrugs.

"What's up? What do you need?" he strokes her forearm before planting a kiss to her forehead. She closes her eyes at the intimate touch.

"Will you—would you mind sleeping in here with me?" she scooches over to the side to make a bit more room for him and pats the bed to really get her point across.

He climbs in carefully, swinging a leg over the plastic barricade and sinking into the miniscule space for him. Her body is sore, but she doesn't care at this point; she'd much rather have him here with her and have her abdomen be a little bit tender rather than the alternative. She snuggles into his side as he lifts his arm to hold her close, leaning back against the pillows. They pull the covers up over them both as Kate leans her head into the crook of his shoulder, placing a kiss on the back of the hand closest to her.

"You okay?" he asks quietly after a minute or two, brushing her hair back behind her ear.

"Yeah, I am. I just need you here with me. It's strange sleeping in a bed without you," she admits, smiling and biting down on her lower lip.

He pulls her closer hearing her confession. She's expecting him to have a proud, cocky, goofy grin pasted on his face, but instead she finds a warm, content smile waiting for her.

"Well, I'm here now. Go to sleep. You need the rest. You did something incredible today."

She closes her eyes and nuzzles him with her nose, but before she succumbs to the slumber that wants so desperately to take her, she winds a hand around his neck, her thumb brushing his cheek, and silently asks him to lean down towards her.

The kiss is more like a 'thank you' than anything else; it isn't supposed to lead anywhere, and it lingers between them for a while.

Once she is content with the kiss, she lets his neck go, but entwines her legs with his and throws her slender arm across his chest, anchoring herself to him fully.

"I can't believe we're parents," she hears him say and feels the deep rumble in his chest, and looks up at him to see a slightly awed expression.

"I know. I'm not going to lie; I'm scared. But it's a good kind of scared, you know?"

He looks down at her and rubs her shoulders without even thinking.

"I do. It was different with Alexis. I mean, Meredith didn't exactly take mothering seriously and by the point of Alexis' birth, we weren't on the best of terms. I was completely on my own once she realized it wasn't like playing dolls."

Kate gazes at him and sits up a tad to brush her fingers into his hair to lightly scratch his scalp and leans her forehead against his.

""You know that's never going to happen with me, right?"

Her voice is just a whisper. There is something intimate, soaked with pure emotion and incredibly sexy about the way she says it.

"I know," he says in a similar tone to hers, pulling back and cupping her face with his large hands.

"You will be an amazing mother. You already are with Alexis. That girl looks up to you so much. She kept texting me today saying how much she wishes she could be here, but since she couldn't she wanted to know everything in play-by-plays. I left out the gory bits," he stops to smile when she smacks his chest tiredly with the back of her hand. "But the importance of this is that she has never texted me about her biological mother. She looks to you as more of a mom than Meredith will ever be."

"Oh Lex. I told her I would call her after Lucy was born," she grumbles to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose and furrowing her brow.

"It's okay, I called when you were asleep. She was disappointed she didn't get to talk to you but she understands what you went through today and says she has a test tomorrow anyways. After that, she's flying out to see us."

He leans in to place another kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the familiar scent of cherries, salt from the dried sweat, and the aroma that could only be described as Kate. It is his home; his place where he feels complete. No, it doesn't matter where he is geographically, as long as this woman is by his side.

"Now, get some sleep, momma."

"You too, daddy."

"I love you so much."

"Always," she mumbles, already drifting into the waves of slumber.

He looks down at the sleeping form of his wife; the mother of_ both_ of his children, no matter who's DNA his oldest daughter has in her genes. How lucky he is to have such fabulous women in his life. A peaceful expression rests on Kate's features as she dreams and she subconsciously snuggles even further into him. Oh, yes. He is lucky.

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><p><strong>I know this was short. Will try to make it lengthier next time.<strong>

**I am really loving A Fine Frenzy to write to. She's an amazing singer and it's inspired me to a whole new level.**

**Thanks guys!**


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